Rural Finance Initiative Uganda Limited (RUFI)

Partner since: 2024

RUFI Uganda was created by RUFI South Sudan, a non-deposit-taking MFI founded in 2008. During the civil war, many of its clients fled across the border to Uganda and settled in refugee camps. RUFI followed its clients and began operations in northern Uganda out of necessity to recover those loans. At first, the MFI simply continued lending to refugees if they were previously RUFI clients. Gradually they expanded services to other immigrants who have been in the country for 5+ years and became established in the Ugandan communities, but still lacked access to funding. The local population also benefits from RUFI. Ugandan MFIs are heavily concentrated in urban areas surrounding Kampala, and a large percentage of the population remains excluded, especially rural women. In addition to finance, RUFI provides clients with training on local norms, financial literacy, and the use of funds.